NHS Forth Valley says no faulty concrete in its buildings

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was previously used to build roofs, walls and floors and can cause buildings to collapse without warning.

Five hospitals in England have already been identified as having RAAC and the government has said they will be rebuilt.

NHS Scotland issued a Safety Action Notice in February urging health authorities to carry out checks and then completed a "desktop survey" of its estate in June.

Following the desktop exercise 254 buildings were identified that "have two or more characteristics which are consistent with the presence of RAAC".

Eight of these were said to be in the NHS Forth Valley area.

Major sites such as Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock and the recently constructed Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow are all named in the report as having buildings which could contain RAAC.

NHS Grampian had the most buildings which could potentially contain RAAC, with 53 identified by the health board, followed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with 44 and NHS Lothian with 35.

But NHS Forth Valley has been quick to allay fears saying that specialised investigations reveal there is no RAAC in any of the properties red-flagged in the initial NHS Scotland report.

A spokesperson for NHS Forth Valley said: “The NHS Scotland report was based on an initial desktop exercise which simply looked at the age of the property, construction type etc to determine the category ratings and these do not actually indicate or confirm the presence of RAAC.

“NHS Forth Valley had already commissioned an external surveyor to carry out site inspections and investigations which did not identify any RAAC in any of the properties listed.”

The lightweight concrete was used in roofs, floors and walls between the 1950s and 1990s as a cheaper alternative to the standard building material.

It was widely used in public buildings and has been found in Scottish hospitals, schools and police stations.

RAAC has air bubbles inside of it and has a limited lifespan.